Categories
My first Bluefin ever.
Author: admin
Categories
May 16, 2026
Categories
May 16, 2026
Categories
HRN 558: New Hams at Any Age
The Youth Forum at the 2026 Santa Maria DXers & Contesters Convention, April 11, 2026, featuring Violetta Latham KN2P, moderated by Dick Norton N6AA, ARRL SW Division Director
Categories
Before The 15m Yagi Goes Up…
Tower #2 is slowly becoming a proper little engineering project now. In this video I’m upgrading the guy spreaders to stainless triangular plates, replacing temporary hardware, sorting the orphan guy stakes, and generally trying to make the mast stronger, cleaner and easier to maintain before the 15m Yagi goes on top.
There’s also a bit of discussion about guy tension, shackles, turnbuckles and why getting the foundations right matters before adding antennas and weight. And yes… after nearly losing the tower recently, I’m double-checking everything now 😅
Next episode: the 15m 3-element Yagi build and why I managed to get a near-50Ω direct feed without a gamma match.
Enjoy the video and enjoy your radio!
Take a look inside this radio unboxing. Features foam padding for protection and includes the owner’s manual.
👉 GET THE 25th ANNIVERSARY BAOFENG BEFORE THEY ARE GONE: https://geni.us/8xt9Aq
👉 Full Vid: https://youtu.be/lLP7ekaJNZc
#RadioUnboxing #TechGadgets #Electronics
Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjETc3psT6i7B5z6S1Y3ojQ/join
⭐️Consider becoming a Patron @ https://www.patreon.com/k8mrdradiostuff
Follow me on Twitter. https://twitter.com/k8mrd
⭐️Links to many of the things I use can be found here:
https://www.amazon.com/shop/k8mrdradiostuff
As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
⭐️⭐️LINKS TO OTHER COOL STUFF: affiliate where available
⭐️Save 10% off at https://www.bioennopower.com with Coupon Code HRT
⭐️Save up to 20% off your Coax order at ABR Industries. Code K8MRD10 at checkout.
⭐️The SkyHook Portable Mast Antenna Mount
http://www.thehamstop.com/
Code K8MRDRADIO for 20% off
⭐️Fara-J Antennas: https://vfcomms.com/?sca_ref=10776057.9X2g5LehW7Er
⭐️Earn 2X Points At Gigaparts With Code K8MRD:
https://www.gigaparts.com/nsearch/?lp=K8MRD%20INFLUENCER%20PAGE
⭐️Save 10 % off Messi & Paoloni & ABR Industries Coax With Code MP10 https://www.gigaparts.com/nsearch/?lp=Mike%20Coax%2010%20Off#?lp=Mike+Coax+10+Off&search_return=all&res_per_page=60
⭐️10% off Messi & Paoloni Coax
Use code K8MRD for 10% off
https://messi.it
(USA & Canada get free shipping on orders $99 euros or more!)
⭐️Signal Stuff Signal Stick Antennas: https://signalstuff.com/?ref=4089
#hamradio #hamradiotube #parksontheair
Categories
TOWER #1 FAILURE!
Last night, Mast #1 taught me another expensive lesson! I was checking the remote camera during some rough weather when I noticed one of the top guys flailing around in the wind. At first I thought a rope had snapped, or another shackle pin had worked loose. By the time I got up to the field, the weather had gone absolutely wild.
Turns out the culprit was a turnbuckle that had gradually undone itself under load.
This is exactly why I test things properly. You don’t learn much lowering towers every time the forecast looks a bit lively. You learn by discovering the weak points, fixing them properly, and improving the design.
In this video:
– Remote camera footage of the storm
– The moment I realised something was wrong
– Why the mast survived
– What failed
– Why the prototype 160m top section probably increased the wind loading
– What I’ll be changing next
Sometimes experience comes from books. Sometimes it comes from nearly losing a tower at night in a storm.
Enjoy the video guys.
#hamradio #amateurradio #tower #antenna #yagi #engineering #dxcommander